Playing Hero
by Colors Changing Hue
Summary: A new girl has wandered into Hazzard, desperate to escape her past. Bo falls for her, but something is keeping her from following her heart... something scary that has her incredibly shaken. But how do you help the one you love when they don't want it?
1. Chapter 1

_Sorry, there will be no balladeer in this one… I'm trying to keep the story serious I guess…_

**Chapter 1**

She couldn't believe it… she was free. The young woman slowly yet hurriedly made her way to her car and opened the door. With one look back at her apartment, she took a bite out of the granola bar she grabbed on her way out and got in the car, leaving her life behind.

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She'd been driving for almost a day straight. Any normal person would've fallen asleep at the wheel by now, but when a woman was bound and determined – especially this one – there was no stopping her. Finally, she passed a sign. _Welcome to Hazzard County_. "Hazzard… sounds interesting…" she mumbled for a while sarcastically to the air around her.

After about 20 minutes, there was a town in sight. She drove down 'main street' and pulled up by some bar that went by 'Boar's Nest'. Encouraging. She looked in the mirror and fixed her hair and applied makeup. _I look horrible… I guess I ought to after what I've been through… _After sitting for a moment, she gathered up her nerve and walked right in. After spotting an empty table in the corner, she ordered a giant ice water and headed over to it. She sat and rubbed her temples, then looked up into the face of a desperate cowboy gazing at her.

"Go away." But he only scooted his chair closer to her. "Please…" she closed her eyes and rubbed her head, but he grabbed her wrist. She flinched, for her wrist still ached.

"Ah, come on, sweetheart… you're a pretty little filly, ain't ya?" Before she had a chance to respond, the man lifted out of his seat in pain. The waitress set the girl's water down and pulled him by his hair and pushed him back to his table.

"Try for someone on your level… maybe that basset hound that seems to have made Cooter's it's new home?" The man rolled his eyes.

"Yes, Miss Daisy, I'm much obliged." He sarcastically bowed and ran when she started after him.

Daisy looked over at the girl who looked like she was about to collapse. She sat down and rubbed the girl's shoulder. "Sorry about that… I hope you don't get an aweful first impression of Hazzard. I'm Daisy." She held out her hand, but it was not met.

The young woman looked at Daisy with her tired eyes and then at the outstretched hand. She then began to drink from her glass. Daisy pulled her hand back and kept on looking at her, having dealt with this type of person many a time. The girl looked up. "You got a staring problem, beauty queen?"

"Sorry… I just wanted to make sure you were doin' all right. Are ya?"

The girl shook her hand and ran her hand through her hair. "No, no… _I'm _sorry… I guess you could say I've been having a rough couple of weeks. I'm Rosalyn, but you can just call me Ross." Daisy smiled at this little breakthrough and Rosalyn laughed, which startled her. That hadn't happened in at least 2 weeks.

"Well, I'm a good listener if you wanna talk…"

"No, I'm all right… Well, not quite, but I _do _know I'm not ready to talk about it just yet…" She took another sip of her water.

"It's okay, at least we've established there's an 'it' that needs to be talked about. I'll hold you to it." She joked.

Ross smiled again – man, how she had missed that feeling – and decided maybe this person was half-decent….

"Would you like to come to dinner with me and my uncle? I'm about to leave work."

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Daisy made a stop at the hotel on the way, getting Ross a free room (you can guess how). She went ahead and gave her a ride to the farm and would take her back that evening. As they stepped into the kitchen, Jesse called out.

"Daisy, that you?"

"Yes Uncle Jesse! I brought a guest for dinner!" She heard him hang up the phone and come into the kitchen happily.

"Pleased to meet ya, Miss…"

"Scott, Rosalyn Scott. You can call me Ross, though."

"Well, Miss Rosalyn, welcome to the Duke farm. You'll be joining us this evening?" Ross nodded hungrily as she smelled the pot roast inside the oven. Jesse laughed and pulled out an extra plate and silverware.

"Daisy, you'll never guess who I was just talkin' to."

"Bo and Luke?" He scowled and she laughed, "Oh come on, I wanna hear what they got to say!"

Uncle Jesse continued on, "Well, they says they got to Houston just fine, and their first race is tomorrow."

Daisy noticed the slightly confused look on Ross' face and explained, "Bo and Luke are my cousins, and they like to race a lot. That car's all they live for."

"That and finding ways to get into trouble nonstop…" Jesses mumbled as he took the roast out and smelled it before cutting up part of it.

Daisy laughed and continued. "Well, they qualified for a big race down in southern Texas, as you heard, and hopefully it's a big prize. Bo refused to tell us how much he could win!" Jesse set one of the plates down and dipped up some mashed potatoes and green beans, then continued onto the next plate.

Ross sat at the table and gazed longingly at the two, wishing she could be that happy. But after what she'd been through…. _Oh stop daydreaming, Ross… you're stuck like this… _


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Over then next two weeks while the boys were away, Daisy and Ross soon became the best of friends. She loved being with Daisy and Uncle Jesse, as she came to know the kind old man; it gave her a sort of calm she had never known in New Orleans. Every day she managed to forget her troubles, and every night she would sit on her bed and think herself into tears and fall asleep alone and afraid.

It was early in the morning, and Ross had just pulled up into the Dukes' driveway. She and Daisy were going horseback riding in the further fields today.

The two rode in silence for about 15 minutes before Daisy interrupted it. "Are you feeling okay, sugar?"

Ross forced a smile. Last night had been one of her worse ones. "I feel fine, why do you ask?"

"Well, it just seems like you're really tired every now and then… a little more than you should be."

"I am…" Ross began to drift her gaze onto the rising sun, which was now over the horizon. Daisy turned off the path and headed towards a small pond. She tied her horse to the tree and sat on a large rock overlooking the relatively large body of water. Rosalyn did the same, a little unsure of why she took the abrupt detour. "Daisy?"

Daisy kept her gaze on the horizon as she spoke. "You've gotten to be one of the best friends I've ever had, Rosalyn. I wanna help you out when you need it… but I can't do that if you don't let me." She finally broke her stare and looked to her friend. "Ross, what's wrong? You obviously aren't doing very well keeping it bottled up inside."

Rosalyn played with a piece of moss on the rock, trying desperately to avoid the question. She chanced a glance towards Daisy, and immediately regretted it. Daisy was staring at her concernedly, and she couldn't keep it all in any longer. A tear escaped her eye. _Great, now I _have _to say something… _"I'm sorry… it's just…" Another tear fell. "I met the most perfect man I ever knew about a year ago. It took him 3 months to convince me to date him. We were engaged about a month and a half ago… We actually were supposed to get married today."

"Were?"

It was her turn now to look to the sky. "Yeah… I called it off sort of."

"Sort of? What's that supposed to mean?" Daisy was getting more and more worried by the word.

"Well, he changed… I don't know why. He wasn't who I fell in love with, if I was ever in love at all. I just kind of… left."

"I'm so sorry. That's horrible… what happened to him, do you think?"

Ross looked at her and smiled. "Maybe another time…" Daisy took the hint and hugged her before getting up.

They rode home talking about the basic girl stuff: clothes, shopping, makeup, romantic stories and movies, and of course… men.

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Daisy and Rosalyn tied their horses up in the barn and headed towards the farm house.

"Now that's got to be the most… interesting car I've ever seen." Daisy looked over to the Dodge Charger sitting in the driveway and her eyes widened. Without an explanation, she bolted into the house.

"Bo! Luke! Where are y'all?" Daisy ran into the family room where the three Duke men sat talking about the trip. Bo was the first to jump up and he ran over and hugged his cousin as tight as he could.

As Luke jumped up right after Bo and ran to hug Daisy, Ross called out from the kitchen, "Daisy? Where'd you go?" She then entered the room, and a spotlight hit her and angels sang… well, that's what Bo thought anyways.

Daisy looked over and pulled Luke along with her. "Oh I'm sorry, I plum forgot! This here's my cousin Luke."

"It's a pleasure, ma'am." They shook hands.

"This is Rosalyn, I met her while y'all were outta town. You'll just love her!"

Luke chuckled. "It looks like Bo's way ahead of ya, Daisy."

The rest of the evening was spent with the boys talking about the races and the town. The climax of the evening was when they revealed the prize…

"$5,000!" Jesse nearly dropped his fork. "That's enough to buy all them fancy attachments for the General, ain't it?"

"Well, actually Uncle Jesse, we're gonna put it toward getting the farm out of debt," Luke answered.

"Oh that's aweful nice of you boys. But ain't you wanted them parts for a long time, Bo?" Daisy inquired further.

Jesse then chimed in, "Yes, you boys been workin' way too dang hard to waste your money on this farm."

This time Bo answered, "Uncle Jesse, we got the rest of our lives to fix up the General, and he's still got quite a few decades left in him, as demonstrated these past 2 weeks. Plus, if we can get the farm out of debt, heck even more than breaking even, imagine how much easier it'd be on all of us! We talked about this all the way home Uncle Jesse, trust us. We know what we're doing."

"That's so generous of you two." Rosalyn finally said.

Luke punched Bo's shoulder. "It was mostly this little rascal's idea. You can thank him for that, Uncle Jesse!" They all laughed as they continued their dinner. Bo glanced over to Rosalyn. _What a beautiful smile… a beautiful woman… _

Daisy was very happy her cousins could actually make her smile for once. It was about then when her eyes averted to Bo's, which were still fixated on her good friend. _Don't you dare, Bo… _


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Over the next week, Rosalyn became very comfortable in Hazzard. She, Luke, Bo, and Daisy would run around and have fun, although she refused to get inside the General. Ross rented out a small townhouse on the outskirts of town, and hoped to God she would be able to stay. She really began to enjoy her life. But enjoying it or not, her nightmares still came every night or two. She couldn't get them to stop, and it was getting up on her very last nerve.

She woke up one night in a sweat, and needed to shake it off. So she got dressed in some worn out jeans, her slippers, and a thin sweater and headed off down the road. She walked and wandered for about an hour, and when she looked up she saw the Duke farmhouse. _What am I doing here? _She couldn't figure it out. Why was she here? Ross shook her head free of all wonderings and turned around.

Bo sat in his room staring out at the fields. For some reason he just couldn't sleep. All he could think about was… _It's not like she's the most beautiful girl on the face of the earth… why am I so captivated by her? _Just then, a figure in the shadows interrupted his thoughts. It didn't move, only stood there at the foot of the driveway staring off into the distance. _This can't be good… _He grabbed his shotgun from under his bed and crept downstairs. He peered out the kitchen window. The figure turned to leave. _Oh no, you ain't gettin' outta here without dealing with me first…_

Rosalyn kept walking, but jumped and nearly fell over as she heard a voice behind her cry out, "You ain't goin' nowhere! Get right back here, _now_!" She took a few more steps, but turned when she heard a shotgun cock.

"Bo?" Bo cautiously lowered his gun. _Ross? _He slowly made his way over, and soon discovered his suspicion to be correct.

"Ross, whatcha doin' out here so late at night? Nearly scared me to death, creepin' around out here at all hours of the mornin'!" Ross laughed half-heartedly.

"I couldn't sleep, and from the looks of it I'm not the only one who's guilty of insomnia." Bo smiled sheepishly. "Why couldn't ya sleep?" His face drained of all color, and he was suddenly grateful that it was so dark outside.

"I, uh… somethin' at dinner didn't sit quite right," he lied. Desperate to change the subject, he, in turn, asked, "How about you? What would prompt you to walk at least 15 or 20 miles down to the farm from your townhouse? Somethin' you ain't tellin' me?"

Ross hung her head and looked out into the fields. "I guess I'm havin' a hard time forgetting some bad memories." She whispered it into the breeze.

Bo put a hand on her shoulder. She almost flinched at another man's touch, but something about him was different. He was warm and genuinely concerned. "Ross, if there's one thing I've learned over the years, it's the fact that you just can't forget those types of things. What good things would we have to look forward to if that's all we had?"

Ross put her hand on his for a moment, and toyed with the idea of keeping it there. But she soon grew a little uncomfortable and let go, pulling his hand off her shoulder. "That's a very profound thing to say. Where'd ya get that one, Uncle Jesse?"

Bo laughed. "Nope, that one's from me. Tell you what, how about I take you for a ride?" Ross looked over and eyed the General nearby suspiciously. Bo took her hand and practically dragged her over to it. "Aw, come on, now! It's so much fun! I mean, if Daisy can ride in it, so can you!"

"Oh, I don't know, Bo… I'm awfully nervous in cars, always have been. Ever since I was a little girl." Bo picked her up and maneuvered her legs through the window. She sat for a moment on the edge with her arms around his neck.

"Everybody has to conquer fear sooner or later," he said lightly. He then put her all the way inside the car and ran around the other side, getting in and revving up the engine; then they took off.

Bo cruised along at about 30mph for Rosalyn's sake. She had a death grip on the edge of the window and the side of the seat. "Ross, you can calm down. I'm barely over 30."

She chanced a look at him. "It's not this part I'm worried about, Bo. I've seen the way you drive! I'm just…"

"Listen, you can't live like this. Look," he pointed over where the faint outline of light peeked out over the horizon, "the sun's about to come up. Wanna get a good view?" She watched as his eyes wandered over to a construction vehicle with a ramp on it, going quite high. Bo u-turned and started gaining speed.

"B-Bo… you're not thinking about…" He got an overjoyed smile on his face as he passed back by the vehicle. About 300 feet away from it he u-turned again and stopped for a second.

"You ready, Ross? The sun's about to come up…"

"No, Bo, please don't do this… if you had any idea of how scared I am right now…"

Bo looked over at her and winked. "As long as you keep your eyes open, I really don't care how scared you are, Ross!" She tried to protest, but he slammed the gas pedal down. "We gotta go _now _or we'll miss it!" Ross clamped her eyes shut and her grip tightened. There was no talking him out of it. He was gonna kill them both! The ramp grew closer and closer to the General. "Ross, open your eyes!" She shook her head hurriedly and squeezed her eyes shut. "Open 'em…" She felt the floor of the car tilt up sharply and then… nothing. "NOW! OPEN 'EM ROSS!" Her eyes couldn't take it anymore. They flew open and she was in awe of the landscape before her. "Yeeeee-haaaaaaw!" She heard Bo yell. Those 5 seconds seemed to last a lifetime. The sun had just come over the horizon, and it was so beautiful. She was able to see all the woods around them, all the fields, even some cow grazing. She saw a flock of geese to the right.

It's a good thing she had such a good grip, for it was the only thing that kept her relatively in her seat as they landed. Bo turned and skidded to a stop. He looked over to her with a huge child-like grin spreading across his face. He looked so innocent right then, with his wavy bl0nde hair and his dangerously bright blue eyes glinting with excitement. She hugged him for both sharing that with her, as well as keeping her alive.

Without thinking Bo kissed her on the cheek as they parted. "What was that for?"

He panicked. _What do I say to her? _"I uh, just got caught up I guess… just tryin' to make ya feel better…" He waited as he face changed from confused to grateful.

"Well in that case…" She then kissed him on the cheek. "Thank you very much. I needed it."

Desperate to change the subject, Bo started to drive back to the farm. "You might as well say for breakfast, now that the sun's up."


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

After breakfast that morning, as Daisy was cleaning the dishes, she watched Bo and Rosalyn outside playing with two new blue heeler pups they had found. They chased each other around and picked up a puppy every now and then. While Ross was sitting on the ground stroking one of them, the other came and 'tackled' her to the ground. Daisy wearily watched as Bo looked at Rosalyn lovingly. _I can't let him… she's been through too much too recently… _

Just then Uncle Jesse and Luke called Bo over to help with a tractor repair; Rosalyn headed inside to wash up after the little puppies jumped off of her to follow Bo.

"You okay Daisy?" She asked as she washed her hands in the sink.

"I'm…fine… Uh, Ross, do you think Bo's a great guy?" She looked up suddenly as she dried off her hands.

"I, I don't think I know what you mean by that, Daisy."

Daisy sat down, and Rosalyn followed suit. "I've seen the way you've been lookin' at him every now and then… I've also seen the way he's lookin' at you. I'm just sayin', Ross, that Bo's an incredible guy… But he's a bit of a ladies' man, and both Luke and Bo are known as Hazzard's resident heartbreakers."

"Are you… _warning _me about your own cousin?"

Daisy sighed; she hadn't meant for it to come out that way. "Well, in a way. Bo doesn't mean to do it… it's his nature. I mean, he doesn't have a clue how many girls he's left disappointed. You're one of the best friends I ever had, and I just don't want you to get left in his wake. You understand, right? I'm not puttin' Bo down, just kinda… statin' the facts. Just, be careful with him, okay?"

Ross nodded. Daisy was only trying to protect her. Where's the harm in that?

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Rosalyn stepped outside. It was a beautiful night. She almost hated to leave, with those poor puppies in the barn while everyone else slept. Apparently she had fallen asleep on the couch, and somebody had pulled a blanket over her. _I'll stop by their pen before I leave… _

She walked into the barn and tiptoed upstairs to their pen. "Hey, babies." She picked one up and scratched him behind the ears.

"You ain't thinkin' about taking one home with ya, are ya now?" Ross nearly dropped the pup she held in her arms as she jumped around to see Bo leaning against the railing.

"What are you doin' here this late? You nearly made me drop this poor little fella." Bo walked over and picked up the other one.

"Aw, I'm sorry, little guy," he said as he rubbed the head of the one she held. He then began to scratch the one in his arms on his back and behind his ears. "A better question is, what are _you _doing here so late? I thought you were asleep when I pulled that cover over ya."

Ross smiled to herself. _It was Bo… of course… _She couldn't figure out why she felt so giddy just then, but it scared her. _I'm not ready to do this again… am I? _"I was gonna walk home, but I had to tell these babies g'night before I left. What about you?"

Bo smiled and set the puppy down in the pen on his bed. "Just doin' a little work on the General. That car's amazing, but thanks to me it needs constant repair and improvements." He gazed at her as she kissed the puppy's head and set him on his bed with his brother. When she stood back up, she met his eyes with a confused look on her face. "You are… so beautiful. One of the most… I dunno… different girls I've ever met."

Ross kept Daisy's advice in mind. "How do ya figure that?"

Bo inched near her involuntarily as he spoke. "You're not like all the girls in Hazzard. There's depth to you. Your beauty is only a small part of how… amazing you are."

Ross scooted away. "Bo, that's very sweet and all… but… I don't think I'm your type."

"My type?" He looked at her for a moment, and realized what was going on. "You been talking to Daisy, haven't ya?" Her glance to the ground was an answer. "I can't believe she would say that about me! I mean, I know she thinks it, but to go around and tell everybody her opinion!"

"Is it true?" He stopped for a moment and looked at her. "Is it true?"

"Of course not. Well, to a certain extent. Ya see, Ross, the one thing I want more than anything in life is a girl. Just _one _girl. I guess I'm gettin' to where I want that so much that I'll take out every girl to figure out which one is… _the _one." A smile creeped up on her lips. "And I've never felt this way about someone, Ross. Not once. I think we have a chance to have something, here, don't you?" She was blushing now. A thought struck Bo. "How did you get those words to come out of my mouth?"

"Because I'm a girl." She moved a little closer. "And a very special one, apparently."

"What about what Daisy said? You're not gonna avoid me, are ya?"

The glisten in his blue eyes touched her. He truly wanted to get closer to her. "Well, I don't think what Daisy has to say about it matters. I have to make my own opinion of ya. So far it's a good one. Unless, of course, there's a reason to listen to her?" With that she headed down the steps and out the door. Bo watched her go home out the barn window.

She decided to let him think it over before she risked anything. Ross was never very big on taking chances.

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Ross woke up the next morning with a mix of emotions. She was first and foremost extremely happy. He likes _her_. Second, she was nervous. What if her little act last night made him decide to not go for it? What if she scared him off with that last comment? Third, she was scared. _I couldn't possibly be ready for another man yet… _And she wasn't just yet. _I was uncomfortable with him just standing there! I may never get better… _

She then heard a knock on the door, startling her a little. She crossed her fingers as she went to open the door, and let out a sigh of relief when she saw Bo standing outside, waiting for her. "Hi, Bo." She leaned against the door. He turned to her and smiled.

"Hi. I was thinking about what you said last night… Trust me, there's no reason…" He trailed off as a girl walking down the street waved to him.

"Hi Bo!" He nervously looked back to Rosalyn, who laughed, rolled her eyes and closed her door.

For the next few days, every time she saw Bo, some girl was all over him, or hinting that she wanted to be. True, he was paying attention to Ross; she'd give him that. And she had to admit, most every time they were trying desperately to get his attention. But she decided to have a little fun with him – it took her mind off… _other _things…

A few days later, he just couldn't take it anymore. He saw her at the Boar's Nest waiting for Daisy to get off and headed over to her. "Can I talk to you?" She followed him as they went out the back door into a small alley. "Look, I know that every time you see me I'm with someone new… but I promise you I'm not responsible for it. I can't help it if girls want a date with me, right? Now I know that there's something here, I tell ya. I can _feel _it. Won't you just give me a chance? Will you go out on a date with me?"

"Sure." She shrugged and began back inside. Bo stood for a moment before grabbing her arm and pulling her back. She flinched when he did this.

"Wait, so… you will?" She nodded. "Why did you make me think you wouldn't?"

She shrugged again. "I thought it'd be fun." She smiled mischievously. "You wanna go on a picnic? Or maybe horseback riding…"

"Ross! You mean I coulda asked you out any time before now and you woulda said yes?" She nodded and went back inside as Daisy grabbed her keys. Bo stood there, dumbfounded. _This girl is definitely one of a kind. _He went inside and through the front door and drove back to the farm.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

As Bo drove along, he just couldn't get it. He had gone girl crazy once or twice before… but Rosalyn had blinded all of his reflexes. He had _never _been outsmarted or made to look like an idiot by a girl before… well, excluding Daisy, but she didn't count.

Snapping him out of his trance, Roscoe's siren caught his attention. "Oh great…" he said as he looked in his rearview mirror. He slammed the gas pedal as he had oh so many times before.

The chase lasted for about 10 minutes, and Bo was about to end it around this next corner where he'd pull into the woods and hide til Roscoe was on his way. Just as he was about to round the turn, he spotted the construction vehicle from the other night. His thoughts started wandering to the enchanting smile on her face when they landed. He smiled at the thought that he was the one that put it there. He thought about the kiss he gave her on the cheek and how nervous he was after it. He thought about the warm tingling feeling that overcame him when she kissed him on the cheek. He thought about how badly he wanted to lean in…

Bo touched his finger to his head and looked at it. _Yup, that's blood all right… _He rolled his eyes as he saw Roscoe make his way over and look into the window. "Roscoe, I ain't feelin' so hot at the moment. Can't we pick up after I clean up this cut on my cheek?"

"I don't think that cut's what you gotta be worryin' about right now, Bo." He looked at Roscoe questioningly, returned with a few glances at the front end and passenger side of the General.

He had run sideways into to tall oaks, the passenger window was broken, and the hood was bent up real good. "Aw man…" He looked back up at Roscoe, wondering why the funny little sheriff wasn't jumping with glee that the General bit the dust while it was within distance of the patrol car. He saw Roscoe's eyes staring at his leg. He looked down and it suddenly became clear to him why his leg felt a little funny… there was a large shard of glass from the windshield stuck in his thigh. He went to pull it out, when he realized his other arm wasn't moving. He looked over and saw it stuck between the seat and the console, not bent in a particularly comfortable way.

"I'll get help…" Roscoe ran off into his patrol car and headed out towards town.

Bo watched the car kick up dust and looked back at his leg, then his wrist… then his… his baby… the General was a mess. "Man, this is gonna cost a fortune! Cooter can't afford to fix this for free…" He laughed to himself. _I've probably twisted my wrist and I've got a huge shard of glass in my leg, and I'm more worried about the General than myself. _Bo didn't really like being all by himself and helpless. He couldn't move his right arm, and the pain in his thigh was really starting to set in. He breathed real hard and quick to try and distract himself from how bad it hurt.

After about 10 minutes, he couldn't take it anymore. He _had _to get the glass out of his thigh. He carefully gripped it with his left hand and tried pulling it out slowly. Pain shot through his thigh. "Well, that won't work…" He took his hand off for a moment as he thought what to do. "It's gonna have to come out quick…" He positioned his hand again and took a deep breath. _One… two… _He hesitated, but when the pain increased, he regained his nerve. _Three! _He pulled the shard out straight up and fast. He let out an extremely loud yelp to take his mind off of just how bad it hurt.

He stared at the bloody piece of glass, then leaned back against the seat a breathed heavily, trying to convince himself he could take it. "BO!" He couldn't hear whoever it was. It hurt so bad… "Oh my… Bo…" He faintly opened his eyes and smiled. Rosalyn touched his cheek, then looked down at the glass he held in his now slightly bloodied hand. Soon more faces joined his line of sight.

"Bo! How the heck did this happen to you?" Bo had closed his eyes, but he knew that was Luke. He felt Daisy's hand take hold of his, and he heard Uncle Jesse talking to him.

"Okay, how are we gonna fix his wrist?" Everyone turned to Luke. "Look for yourself! It's stuck nicely between the console and the seat. Chances are he's sprained it. Daisy, fold down the back seats in Dixie so he can lay down on the way to the hospital. Uncle Jesse, take the truck into town and get a room ready at the hospital so we can get him in as fast as we can. Ross, I'm gonna get in on the other side so I can get his wrist outta there." Luke went over to the passenger side and flinched at the damages, but maneuvered into the seat patted Bo's shoulder.

"Luke, you need to hurry. He's fading. You think he might've gotten a concussion?"

Luke looked up from Bo's wrist at his cousin's face. She was right, he seemed to be darn near passing out. He looked down at his arm again and gently wrapped his hand around his forearm and reached down in the seat to his hand. "Aah…" Bo let out a small moan, and Ross kneeled down and stroked his forehead.

"It's okay, Bo, he's gonna get that out for ya." Bo's eyes were now closed, but a small smile crept onto his lips at the sound of her voice.

"Okay, now here we go… one…" Luke looked at Ross, then nodded. "Two…" Ross took hold of Bo's other hand and intertwined her fingers with his gently, avoiding the small cuts from the glass. "Three!" She squeezed his hand hard, and he squeezed back. His eyes popped open and he looked over at his arm, laying limply in Luke's hands. "You okay, Bo?"

"No… the General's gonna cost a fortune to fix…" Luke laughed and patted Bo's shoulder again.

"That's my boy, bouncin' back. Alright, we gotta get you outta here and take you into town." Daisy saw what they were about to do and went over to help Ross pull Bo out as Luke held his legs and pushed him out. As soon as he was half way out, Luke got out and ran around. Together they got him into the back of Dixie.

"You better let him lay his head on your lap, Ross. Last thing he needs is blood rushin' to his head." Daisy started up the engine and Luke jumped in the front seat as Rosalyn followed Daisy's orders. She held his head in her lap and stroked his forehead. His eyes opened slightly, and he smiled at her.

"What?" She laughed at his determination.

"Would you consider this a first date?" She laughed again and kissed his forehead.

"Of course," she whispered. He smiled and slipped back into unconciousness.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

The next day, Bo was released from the hospital. Luke picked him up in the General.

"Aw, come on, Luke, I sprained my wrist. You know I can drive one-handed!"

Luke held out his hands to give Bo a hand getting in. "Yes, but you also just had a concussion and lost a good amount of blood from that cut you got. Ain't no way you're driving for a little while." Bo looked longingly at the wheel and Luke laughed and he took his arm to give him support as he climbed in. "I promise, as soon as you're back to normal and your wrist is almost healed, the General will be all yours for an entire month. Deal?" Bo smiled boyishly and Luke tapped the roof before running around and jumping in the driver's seat.

They drove for about 5 minutes in silence before Luke broke it. "Can I ask you somethin', Bo?"

"Sure, what's the problem?"

"Well, I know that accidents just kinda happen but…" He glanced over at Bo, who had an inquisitive expression. "Bo you've never gotten in an accident bad enough to hurt yourself like that before. Something's the matter with you. I need you to tell me."

Bo stared at Luke for a moment, then turned to look out the window. Luke didn't want to push it. He knew the hard part was over, now all he had to do was wait. "Luke, have you ever known anybody that… every second of every day… you just wished they were right next to you?" He looked back over at his older cousin.

Luke swallowed. He hadn't expected that. "Wh…why do you ask, Bo?"

"Why do you think, dummy?"

Luke nervously laughed before answering. "I suppose that… well, yes. I have. But it didn't work out, and we both knew it… I still think about her sometimes." He smiled as he reminisced.

"Do you think I'm incapable of something like that?" Luke pulled over onto the shoulder and turned to him.

"Bo Duke, don't you ever say something like that. Where did you get an idea like that?" The young bl0nde lowered his head slightly. "Bo?"

"It's just… I go through all these girlfriends… not one of them has been any more special than the other. I'm starting to wonder if Ross could be any different. I'm scared I won't be able to get very far into a relationship with her… I might get scared… she might get scared… I'm afraid my feeling might go away."

He looked up at the shocked face of his cousin. "Wow… I… I knew you liked her and all… but wow… Well, my advice to you is if you feel that strongly about her, there must be something different about her. Go for it."

"Yeah but what if-"

"Bo, tell the girl, not me." Bo smiled sheepishly.

Luke smiled back and revved up the engine and headed back to the farm. _My little cousin's growing up… _he mused.

-----------------------

After dinner that night, Bo put his plate in the sink and grabbed the bottle of soap. "What are you doin', Bo?" He looked up into the rather annoyed eyes of Daisy.

"Washin' the dishes?" He smiled awkwardly, not knowing what he did wrong.

"No way, Bo you are _not _doing anything with that wrist. Put the soap down and get outta here!"

"Well where do I go?" He sort of whined, and she laughed as she grabbed the soap and poured it in the pot where the pasta had been.

"Oh I don't know. Why don't you go give those pups a visit? They've missed you." Bo laughed and kind of limped to the door. "You'll be in company, too."

He stopped and turned. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Oh nothing…" He shook his head and went out into the barn. Daisy smiled to herself. _I guess it won't hurt… he seems different around her…_

Rosalyn stood by the pen and stroked the pups' ears. She felt eyes on her back and turned around. Bo was steadily making his way up the last steps and smiling at her. "Hey stranger. How's your wrist?"

He examined it and shrugged. "I think this cut in my leg is what I'm worried about. I sprained my wrist once when I was a kid; only took about a week to heal."

He made his way over to her and looked down at the blue heelers. He reached his left hand down and petted them both. "I think they were really worried about you, Bo."

"They ain't the only ones, are they?" He looked into her eyes. _How can she be so… perfect? _"Did _you _miss me, Ross? Were ya worried about me?"

She smiled out of embarrassment. "Maybe."

He stepped closer and her muscles tensed out of habit. "I missed you, too. Somehow, I found myself feeling sick that I couldn't be around you for a few days. Rosalyn, I think I might…"

"Bo, please… not right now…" She averted her gaze to the puppies. He lightly turned her face toward him with his finger on her chin. He leaned on and kissed her cheek softly. As he pulled away, he saw her eyes had closed. He smiled at this and slowly went closer to her face. He stopped just millimeters from her lips, savoring the feeling of her breath on his.

Suddenly she opened her eyes and backed away, as if she was breaking out of a trance. "Bo, I'm… I'm not ready."

"For what? I just want to kiss you, Ross… desperately. We've known each other for quite some time now, haven't we?"

She wiped away a tear. "No, that's not it…" He rushed over to her.

"Don't cry, I'm sorry… I just… I really thought you wanted that, too." She walked over to the stairs and paused.

"Maybe not everything's about you, Bo." She spoke with her back to him. "Maybe… maybe I've got my own problems, and maybe I don't feel like tellin' you."

Bo's heart sunk. She didn't trust him. He watched her leave and closed his eyes and hung his head. He opened his eyes and his gaze trailed across the ground into the wide eyed faces staring up at him from the pen. "What are you lookin' at?" He smacked the railing with his good hand and went into the house, speaking to nobody as he went upstairs, locked his door and went to bed.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Rosalyn rocked back and forth on her bed with her legs pulled to her chest. She cried as hard as she could. "What have I done?" She yelled it into lonely room. _ You're ruined… he ruined you… _

She cried herself to sleep.

**Bo kissed Rosalyn tenderly. "Wow…" she said as she pulled away. "Bo, I love you." She waited for a reply. When she didn't get one, she opened her eyes and was shocked. He had absolutely no expression on his face, except for that of sympathy. He stood up and held out his hand. "Bo… what are you doing? You kissed me… isn't that what you wanted?" He roughly took hold of her hand and yanked her up to her feet. "Bo what's gotten into you?" All of the sudden, he face changed to regret. He kissed her forehead and ran his hands through her hair. "Bo…" she was barely whispering. He abruptly pulled away and took her by the hand to the road. "Bo, what's going on?"**

**Just then, an eerily familiar car pulled up. She looked in horror at the driver. "Bye, Ross." Bo began to lead her to the car, but she pulled away.**

"**Bo, please don't make me go with him… he scares me…" She couldn't force herself to look back to the driver. "Please Bo, I'm sorry for what I said. I want to be with you!"**

**His face was somber. "You missed your chance. I'm sorry, Rosalyn."**

"**No," she was on the brink of tears, "call me Ross again. Hold me, kiss me… Bo please anything! Don't make me go back to him!"**

**He started towards her and picked her up, opened the door and forced her into the car. She kicked and screamed the whole way, but in the end she ended up with a pane of glass between her and Bo Duke. She watched as a blonde beauty grabbed Bo and kissed him roughly. He melted into it and never looked back. He grew distant, and the driver grabbed her arm, turning her around. "Welcome back, darlin'."**

**She tried to push him off of her, and he slapped her hard. "No more sneakin' off this time, ya hear!" She leaned against the window and cried and screamed…**

Ross practically jumped out her bed at the knock on the door. That was probably the worst nightmare she had experienced since she got away from him. _Why did I say I loved Bo? _Whoever was at the door was persistent, and she snapped out of her delirium to answer it cautiously.

"AH!" She jumped at the male figure in the doorway. Enos stepped into the dim moonlight through the window and she sighed in relief before closing the door. "Sorry… can I help you, Enos?"

"Oh no, Miss Rosalyn, I was just out on night patrol and I heard you through the window… kinda scared me a little, I just wanted to make sure you were all right? Guess you was just talkin' in your sleep." He stopped for a moment and studied her distraught face. "You all right, Miss Rosalyn?"

"Yeah… no…" She wiped her eyes with her hands and looked at the deputy. He looked so concerned and innocent; she laughed lightly. "Enos, what do you think about fear?"

"Well, uh…" He furrowed his eyebrows. "I've always thought you can do one of three things with it. Face it, run away from it, or find somebody special enough to help you through it." She smiled and folded her arms, looking at the floor.

"There isn't a way to just… forget, is there? Not take the risk of making it worse, being a coward, or letting someone in?"

He thought for a moment, and looked her in the eye. "I would think if you don't do something, it'll always be there to eat away at yer insides." Ross smiled and went over to hug him. "What was that for?"

She shrugged as she went to the door. "Thanks for stopping by, Enos, that was real sweet of you."

He tipped his hat and smiled as he walked out the door. Ross slowly closed it and sat down on her bed. A chill ran up her spine, a sort of aftermath from her nightmare.

"Why do I care so much? There's no way I can love him… I'm not ready for it anyways…" She laid down and tried to go back to sleep, not succeeding for another hour or so.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Bo woke up the next morning a little sore on his wrist. He hadn't taken care of it before he went to sleep, and forgot to put the pillow under and all those other stupid rules about his injury. He slowly worked the kinks out of his wrist and gazed out the window across the sky and fields as the sun rose gradually. All of the sudden, the events of the night before flooded into his mind. Anger rose within him and he slammed the windowsill before getting dressed and heading down to breakfast.

He ate silently and quickly, his face not changing from the expression full of annoyance, sadness, and anger all mixed up into one. Luke, Daisy, and Jesse knew better than to push it, and that he'd tell them if he wanted to. Of course, Daisy already had a great deal of an idea what was bothering him. She decided to take the chance…

Bo grabbed the oil container and lifted up the hood of the General. He measured it with the difficulty of one hand, and saw that it was running a little low. "Hey, Bo." He looked up at his cousin.

"Daisy." She frowned. Not even a hello?

"You okay? You seem a bit down." He opened the cap of the container and lifted it up to pour. "Bo…"

"I'm _fine,_ Daisy. Can I help you with something else?"

"You just don't seem like you're okay." He tilted to pour the oil in. "BO!" He set it down roughly on the ground and sharply turned to her.

"WHAT!" She punched his arm for snapping at her, as he should know better.

"You're not alright, are ya?" He crossed his arms and rolled his eyes.

"What makes you say that?"

She picked up the container and poured the oil in a different tank. "Because oil doesn't go into the gas tank." She handed it back to him and began to walk off. She thought she heard a muffled sorry, so she turned to give him a second chance to let her hear. "Didn't catch that."

"I'm sorry Daisy… it's just that…" He drifted off and stared at the sky. She came toward him and put her hand on his shoulder.

"Just that what, Bo?" He spoke without facing her.

"Why does she have to be so darn beautiful?" She tilted her head and rubbed his back to comfort him, and he continued. "I've never met anybody I've felt this way about, Daisy. She's near perfect, and I know we have a deep connection. But she won't let me try."

"What do you mean?" He turned to her and closed the hood, then sat down on it.

"Last night… Oh Daisy, we were so close, I could feel it… I wanted to kiss her so badly…" He started pick at some dried mud on his boot. "But she pulled away… And I could understand it I guess, I mean we've only known each other for a short while. But when I tried to help, she basically told me that she didn't trust me… and never would…"

"Bo, it may be a long while before she'll be able to have faith in a man again." He looked to her abruptly.

"What'd ya mean?"

"You don't have any idea what I'm talking about, do you?" He shook his head, confused. "She's been hurt real bad, Bo. This may be a little hard for you to understand, but sometimes girls don't want to just jump into a relationship with you. Whether it's you, them, or somebody else, you've gotta give 'em space or you'll drive 'em away."

"Well, she's gonna have to talk to somebody eventually. All I was doin' was offering to be that someone. Then she just blew up at me and walked out. She could've at least given me an explanation or something…"

"Explanation? She's only known you a few weeks! The only reason I know is because once I asked, I let it go and she told me on her own time. You don't even realize how bad it was, do you?" She paused, and searched his face for a trace of understanding, but she was only met with confusion. "Did she tell you she was engaged, Bo? _Happily _engaged?" He looked away for a moment. That came as quite a surprise. "I didn't think so. She loved him more than anything, but something inside of him changed. Whatever it was, she said she couldn't take it anymore, and had to leave. They were supposed to be married the day you boys came home. So excuse her if she doesn't feel like telling another man who wants to be in a relationship with her; I'd be shaken up, too."

After a moment of silence, Bo looked into Daisy's eyes. His were welling up slightly. "No matter if I was right or wrong, she ain't gonna tell anybody unless she has to, and you know that. From the sound of it, she gave you the abridged version. She's gotta confide in somebody sooner or later, or this is gonna tear her insides apart." They were quiet for a minute, and held eye contact the whole time. She knew that he would be the best person for her to trust in, and gave him a nod and a small smile. He nodded back before headed over the driver's side.

"Here Bo, let me drive ya." She headed over and he put his hand on her shoulder.

"Daisy, I gotta do this alone."

"But the doctor said not to… and Luke will be furious if I let you!"

"Please Daisy… I need you to do this for me…" She sighed and smiled. She reached in and turned the ignition for him and took his left hand as he got both legs in the window, wincing as his left leg ached slightly. He lightly pulled it away, and winked at her, letting her know he'd stay safe. Holding the roof, he slid in and took off.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

Bo drove along the road and inwardly cursed his wrist. He was sure he could handle going at least 80 with one hand, but there was always the off chance something bad would happen, or even worse… Luke was following and saw him. He glanced to his left and saw Hazzard Pond. It was so peaceful. He wished that more things in life could be like that. It was about then that he noticed somebody sitting on a rock on the other side. He quickly turned around and squinted to see well. It was Rosalyn… he could feel it. He pulled over and shut off the engine, staring at her for a minute. She looked up and immediately met his eyes. He smiled meekly before pulling himself up using his good arm and legs to the window, then swinging his feet over and steadying himself. _That wasn't so hard… _He swallowed hard and made himself walk forward. She looked as though she wanted to run; yet she stayed put, just sitting on the rock. Not moving. Just looking. They never broke eye contact as he approached her. His smile had grown bigger as did his confidence, but it dropped when he was close enough to see her red puffy cheeks. He slowly sat down next to her and looked down at her hand resting on its surface. He slowly went to put his hand over hers, and she flinched, pulling it back slightly, but he looked into her eyes and instilled security within her. They sat for a moment, looking at their now entwined hands and occasionally smiling at each other, wondering who would be brave enough to strike up the conversation.

Bo swallowed and opened his mouth, hesitating slightly. "I… uh… I didn't mean to… to push you or nothin'…" He continued to stare at her hand, and tried not to focus on how perfect hers, so small and soft, fit inside his big calloused hand. He felt another one of her fingers lift his chin, putting him eye to eye with her. "I guess I just wanted to let you know how sorry I am… I didn't know the whole story… Daisy kinda filled me in. But she was only doing it because we were both worried."

"It's okay, Bo. I guess y'all have a little bit of a reason to be worried. She's right you know… I can't keep it cooped up inside forever…" Bo held his breath as she spoke. _This is it…she's finally gonna tell me…_ "Bo, there's a lot of things in my past… that you don't know about… A little over a year ago, I met one of the most amazing guys. He was my first true love… we were actually set to marry the day I met you. Ironic, huh?" Bo gave a small smile, and nodded for her to continue. He had to keep his mouth shut or she'd stop talking. "A couple of weeks before I came to Hazzard… he started to act… different…" she trailed off and looked out on the pond, and slowly pulled her hand out of his. She looked up at him apologetically. "I can't do this… I'm not ready…" She got down off the rock and began to walk away.

Bo knew he couldn't let her run away any more, and he jumped down carefully and went as fast as he could on his aching leg to catch up to her. He grabbed her upper arm and turned her towards him. "You ain't goin anywhere, Ross. You can't keep this all inside of you and I ain't lettin you leave until you let it out." He noticed tears in her eyes as she fearfully looked at his hand gripped on her arm loosely. She looked as if she was afraid he would tighten his grip. "Ross?"

"Please… let go… don't hurt me…" Bo immediately let go and stumbled backwards. _Hurt her? _

"Rosalyn, you know I'd never hurt you…" she continued to stare at the ground. "Don't you?"

"I'm sorry Bo… I can't do it…" He put his hand on her shoulder, overly gentle, and made her look him in the eye.

"I care about you way too much to let you walk away from this." She didn't speak for several minutes, and despite his leg aching, he didn't leave his spot. He never let her divert her eyes away from him. Finally, she closed her eyes and breathed deeply.

"He started to act different…" she whispered. "He started talking about our wedding night a lot, and how much he was looking forward to it. It seemed like he was getting obsessed with the idea. One night he came over to my apartment… we were gonna have dinner and watch a movie… as a break from the all the frustration surrounding the wedding, you know?" He nodded, letting her know she could continue. He was listening. "Well, dinner went pretty well, and I was so relieved to have a normal evening… until he started blowing in my ear. It was cute at first… but then he started to kiss my neck… I told him to stop but he turned my head towards his and cut me off. It hurt." Bo's heart sunk for her. _What has this poor girl been put through? _She breathed in and out steadily for a moment before continuing. "He kept getting really forceful… he grabbed my arms really hard… I tried to tell him to stop, but when he looked at me… his eyes were… overcome with lust… I couldn't believe it was the same person…"

"Ross, you don't have to…" he trailed off as she shook her head.

"I _need _to, Bo. I'll never free myself if I don't." She led him over to the rock they were sitting on earlier and held his hand for support as he steadied himself on it. She took a deep breath and continued. "I tried so hard to fight him off… but he was so strong… I didn't leave my apartment for a week… he came home so angry every day, and I couldn't get myself out of there… I couldn't take it any more and I slowly got out and left. I wound up here the next day."

Bo was in shock. How could somebody be so violent and uncaring? Tears ran down her face, and soon a few ran down his to match them. "I… I can't believe…"

She was getting more upset every moment, and she buried her face in his chest. "He stole the one thing I can't take back, Bo… I feel like he ruined me forever."

He kissed her forehead and spoke softly to her. "The way I've always seen it, that's something you can't have taken away from you. It's kinda like rewrapping a present that was opened too early, ya know?" He tried lighten the mood without being totally inappropriate. She looked up and slowly smiled and kissed his cheek.

"Really?"

He smiled again. "You're still a virgin in my eyes. That can't ever be taken from you." She broke down then and hugged him tighter than ever before. Bo wanted to kiss her so badly, to just melt into each other. But he knew right now he had to be supporting her, and he was almost positive intimacy wasn't something she was looking for at the moment.

Ross closed her eyes as she felt his embrace, so strong and protective despite his injury. His chest moved up and down rhythmically, and she could feel his muscles tensing. She knew he was controlling himself for her, because he knew she needed him right now to be a rock for her. She looked up, making a decision.

Bo felt her lift her head and gazed down into her loving eyes. A smile played across her lips and she began to move closer to his mouth. This time, there was no hesitation, and they shared their first kiss. Bo smiled as he kissed her. Out of all the men she could have to help her through this time… and she had chosen him.

Luke put the truck into park and opened the door angrily as he looked at the General. "Bo, once I get my hands on you…" He couldn't believe Daisy let him go by himself. His gaze shifted to the pond, and he caught sight of Bo and Rosalyn, softly kissing each other. He smiled to himself and shook his head. "It's about time…" He climbed into the truck and put it in neutral, sliding away as to not be heard.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

For the next few weeks, Rosalyn and Bo were inseparable. They had picnics nearly every other day, Bo sang to her sometimes, and they spent many nights lying under the stars just talking and holding each other.

One day as she, Bo, and Luke were in town doing a little grocery shopping for Uncle Jesse while Daisy was at work. "Oh hold on, I forgot a bag." Luke turned around and ran back across the street into the store. Bo took the opportunity and leaned in to kiss Ross. She dodged him and laughed as she ran to the General. He caught her and pulled her close.

"Don't you think we know each other well enough for a public peck on the cheek?" She smiled and blushed.

"I think I know you well enough to call you Beauregard," she said as she pinched his cheek. He frantically looked up to check that Luke, who was nearing the General with the forgotten grocery bag, had not heard it.

"Sssh, Ross. Luke and Daisy don't even know that! Only Uncle Jesse!" She laughed at his embarrassment and kissed Bo softly and swiftly before turning to get in the car.

"Hey Bo, Luke! I got that upgrade part you wanted for the General in today!" Cooter was waving from the window in his garage as he yelled from down the street. The boys looked up at him and then at each other in excitement. They had been waiting for this for a few weeks now. When Bo had spun out into the tree and they went with Cooter to get some parts for him in Atlanta, they had heard about something to enhance suspension without hindering the speed – exactly what the General needed.

Bo looked to Ross with pleading eyes, like a child waiting for his mother to say okay. She smiled and shooed him away, deciding she'd take a look in the flower shop while they were gone. She grabbed her purse from the passenger seat and looked across the street where she was headed. She was frozen. _Oh my…_ She tried to make herself move, but his gaze was entrancing. The man across the street gave a mischievous smirk before walking a little closer. She finally found the strength to move, and her speed picked up as she ran towards Cooter's shop. She looked back, and he was crossing the street.

"BO!" She ran to the door and banged on the door as hard as she could. Seconds later the door flew open and she was in Bo's protecting arms.

"Ross? What the heck's goin' on? Are you okay?" He checked her over and tried to get her attention, but her eyes were fixed on the last place she had seen him. _Where'd he go? _He had disappeared, giving an unsettling feeling to her. She snapped out of it and looked up into Bo's scared blue eyes.

"I'm sorry… I though it was Rosco… and uh, I thought he was gonna try and arrest y'all again… it was uh… just Enos though…" Bo was too frantic over her sudden outburst that he hadn't heard a word she said. He kissed her forehead.

"Don't do that to me again… I was so scared something was happenin' to ya…"

While he calmed her nerves, Luke and Cooter were talking about their suspicions. "I didn't see no patrol car driving by, did you Luke?"

"No, I didn't."

"You reckon she was hallucinatin'? Maybe it's the heat?" Cooter rubbed his head as he wondered about it.

Luke shook his head. "Nah, I think she ain't tellin' Bo the truth, Cooter. Somethin' ain't right." He was silent for a moment as he watched Bo help Ross into the General. He turned to Cooter, shaking his hand. "Well, we'll probably be back by later to get that part into the General. Much obliged, Cooter." They waved goodbye and headed home in silence while Ross gazed out the window the whole way. Luke knew she was hiding something, but what could it possibly be?

-------------

That night after dinner, Bo took the General up to Cooter's to get their new part put into it, but Rosalyn decided to stay at the Dukes' until he got back. He offered to take her home, but she told him quietly that she wanted to have a night alone, just talking and enjoying each other's company, to which of course he agreed. Who wouldn't?

Uncle Jesse and Daisy had headed outside to do their evening chores, and Luke had just walked in after finishing his. He saw Rosalyn leaning against the sink looking out the window. She seemed really tense and nervous about something.

"Somethin' troubling you, Ross?" She jumped and turned around only to sigh in relief that it was Luke. "Whoa, calm down, now. What's the matter with you? You've been actin' funny ever since this afternoon at Cooter's. You don't really seem the type of gal to be shaken up by a patrol car."

"Well, then… I guess I'm still a little emotionally out of it." She tried to make the air lighthearted… _Tried _being the operative word.

Luke turned her around towards him. "Ross, I gotta tell ya, I didn't see no patrol car driving by today at Cooter's. You sure that's what had ya all shook up?"

She pushed him away, irritated, and turned around to wash dishes. "I'm sure, Luke. I've got to finish these dishes like I promised Daisy."

He knew when to quit – when you're behind. He shut his mouth and shook his head and headed upstairs to get ready for bed early. He had a sick feeling in his stomach, but it wasn't his body that was troubling him.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

That night, Ross and Bo talked for a few hours, kissed and fell asleep on the couch. Luke came downstairs in the middle of the night and checked on Bo and Rosalyn. He smiled at the sight. Bo was stretched out all the way on the couch asleep, and Ross was nestled against him and the couch, their hands entwined together. Both of them slept with a somber smile. He thought again about that sick feeling he was having, and prayed to God that he just ate some bad meat at the Boar's Nest the other day.

The next morning Ross woke up far before Bo and had headed out to help Daisy do some grocery shopping. Luke walked down the stairs buttoning his shirt and saw Bo still asleep on the couch and laughed to himself. He walked poured himself a small glass of water then walked over to the couch, giving the younger Duke a chance to escape. He took no such chance however, and Luke proceeded to dump the liquid on the sleeping Duke. Bo sprang to life and followed it up by a playful punch to Luke's right arm.

"Mornin', sunshine." Luke laughed as he headed back to the kitchen to clean the glass and put it back in the cupboard. Bo grabbed a hand towel and wiped off his face and scrubbed his hair dry.

"Well what the heck was that for? You coulda just shook my arm or somethin'."

Luke put his hand on Bo's shoulder and quizzically replied, "Bo, if more people in life did it like that then the world wouldn't be a very interesting place."

"Huh?" Luke laughed again and grabbed a clean shirt from a stack of laundry on the chair and tossed it to his cousin.

"Don't worry about it. Get changed into that and meet me out in the General." He started to the door.

"Why?"

Luke stopped at the door and turned around. "I just wanted to go for a nice mornin' drive, that all right with you?" He turned back to the door and headed outside. Bo's mind began to churn – he knew what was about to happen. Whenever Luke wanted to go for an early morning drive, there was a whole lot more on his mind than the beauty of a misty summer morning.

------------------------

It was silent for a few minutes as the General steadily combed its way through the back roads of Hazzard. Both Dukes knew something was bothering Luke, and both knew it would be out in the open before this drive was over. Bo, deciding to be the one to break the tension for once, started in on what he knew would be a heavy conversation.

"Luke, we both know you ain't out here to see flowers and butterflies. Somethin's got to ya." Luke was silent and kept looking at the road as he drove. Another sign to Bo that it was serious was the fact that Luke was drivin'. Whenever his cousin gets nervous or ancy about something, he can't stand just sittin' there and usually asks to drive. Bo always obliges, of course. "I'll take that as a yes." Luke switched hands on the wheel and leaned his elbow out the window. "You gonna make me guess all day or you gonna get on with it?"

"Will you just hush for a second, Bo? I'm tryin' to figure out what I gotta say… I still ain't got it quite straight in my own head."

Bo thought for a few moments about what Luke could possibly be so bothered about. It _had _to be something to do with himself… but what? "Oh, I get it. You're worried about that race next weekend in Chickasaw County, aren't ya?"

"Bo-"

"You're worried I'll hurt myself again, ain't ya? Look, Luke, I'm all better. My wrist and leg are all healed up – I ain't gonna make the same mistake twice. I never do!"

"Bo, be quiet." The remark was serious, intense, and abrupt. Bo shut his trap faster than the General passin' a finish line. "Let me talk. I been noticin' a lot of strange things lately…"

"Like what?"

"There wasn't no patrol car in the street."

"Huh?"

"Did you ever find out why Ross was so on edge yesterday?" Bo was silent for a moment… He hadn't really thought about it. He was just glad nothing had happened to her. "I didn't think so. Bo, somethin's wrong with her. These past 2 days she's been really jumpy, more than her usual self. I'm real worried about her. She hasn't said anything to you, has she?"

Bo was silent. He couldn't believe he had let himself ignore it all. He saw the signs that something was up, but he was too blissfully satisfied to do anything about it. "Luke… I have absolutely no idea. What kind of boyfriend am I?"

Luke pulled over and looked at his increasingly panicking cousin. "Bo-"

"No! Dang it, Luke, I told her I'd be there for her and I ain't even tendin' to her worries."

"Bo, you just didn't wanna see it. I know, it's okay. Believe it or not, I've been in this position before. All you have to do is talk to her, Bo. If she wants to let it out, she will. If she don't then she don't. If it seems serious though, get it outta her 'fore she gets herself in trouble. Got it?"

Bo closed his eyes and leaned against the seat, then looked out the window. "I guess so, Luke… I hope you're right."


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

Later that morning when Daisy and Rosalyn returned, Bo was waiting at the kitchen table. She walked in and smiled at him, but he noticed it was different. It was nervous, almost forced, like something in her mind was taking over her entire being. He hadn't wanted to see it before, but now that he was looking for it… boy was it there.

"You okay, Bo?" He stood up and took her hand and began to walk out the door, looking back for one last reassuring nod from his older cousin. Luke gave him a wink and helped Daisy prepare some pot roast for lunch.

"Bo? What's goin' on?" He kept leading her outside and got to a little swing overlooking one of the fields and sat down in it. She followed suit, a little nervous as to where this was going. She ran her hands through his hair and turned his gaze towards her. "Honey?" Bo kissed her softly and held her chin with the tips of his fingers. "What was that for?"

"You care about me, right Ross?" She nodded, confused. "I care about you, too. I want to be there for you, but… I don't know, it's all been jumbled up these past 2 days. Something's bothering you, and you won't tell me. Rosalyn, I _need _to know. I _need _to take care of you."

She took his hand and pulled it away from her face. "Bo, I already told you why I'm so shaken up. I'm still getting over the shock of it all."

"No, Ross. Yesterday, when you was screamin' for me to help you outside Cooter's…" She felt her stomach tighten at the memory. "Something changed in you… we were happy, and you felt safe. But yesterday you just… you…"

"Bo, it wasn't anything."

"There wasn't no patrol car out there, honey. Cooter and Luke both vouch for that. What did you see?" She stayed silent and turned towards the almost completely risen sun. A tear formed at her eye. "Ross, baby, you need to let me help. We're in this together."

She stood up abruptly and walked away for a moment, then turned back and took a step forward. "We are _not _in this together, Bo Duke. You helped me get past it, and I thank you very much for that. You have no idea how grateful I am for you being in my life. But… This is between David and me. You are _not _a part of it. So stop trying to play hero and leave it alone. Just be there for me when _I _need you to." He stared at her, speechless, but she could tell it wasn't because she told him to back off. It was something else. "What's wrong?"

"David?" She gulped. How could she have been so stupid… "Why is David still in this? I thought you came here to stay away from him."

"I… I did…"

"Rosalyn, why is David back in this?" She turned away from him and closed her eyes, knowing Bo wasn't going to let it drop. "Ross, is he here? David. That's who you saw yesterday." He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"Ross, you need to include me in something like that! What if I hadn't been at Cooter's? What if you were out by yourself and you saw him? You don't want anything to happen again, do you?" She turned back to him, infuriated. She walked up to him and raise her hand to slap him, then though better, and simply left him with a both hurt and upset expression. That face hit him harder than any blow could have. She stormed off and jumped into the car she had rented a few days ago to tool around when she needed to. Bo watched her drive away and stood dumbfounded.

Luke ran out to snap him out of his daze. "Hey, where the heck is she goin'?" Bo couldn't look away from the dusty road, fresh with tracks. Luke turned him towards him sharply. "BO!" Bo looked at him with confused, sad eyes, still in the trance Rosalyn had left him in. "Bo? You alright, kid?"

"I went too far, Luke… too far…"

"Bo, stop mumbling and tell me what happened. Why did she drive off like that? Was it really that bad?" Be began to head to the General, apparently returning to reality. "Bo, wait up!"

"Get in the car, Luke. I'll explain while we chase her down." Luke was pretty confused, but hardly ever doubting his cousin's instincts, he climbed inside the General.

"Now, you mind explaining to me what the heck this is all about?" Bo sighed and waited for a moment, hoping to wait it out and evade explanation. "Bo Duke, you ain't gonna keep something that's apparently a bit of a big deal from me."

"Alright, alright, Luke. Calm down. Listen… Ross… before she came to Hazzard, she was in a pretty serious relationship, but he kinda roughed her up a little bit…" He forced himself to say it, knowing he would have to. He left out the details, telling as little as he possibly could out of respect for the woman he was falling in love with. "Well, you were right. That wasn't no cop car. It was… it was that guy she was runnin' from."

"Running?"

Bo nodded and continued. "Well, when I finally got that out of her, I guess… I don't know, I just wouldn't let it drop. I mean, I know that she still should've told me, but I made such a big deal… I guess I wasn't thinkin' about how stuff was comin' out of my mouth, and eventually I pulled my usual foot-in-mouth and almost got slapped in the face. Then she stormed off."

Luke soaked up all the information and contemplated what should be done. "Bo, if he's here, he won't hesitate to take her on site it sounds like. We've got to get to her."

"What the heck do you think I'm doin' right now?"

"Sorry, Bo. Hey, there she is in the distance!" Their attention turned to the little white sedan about half a mile ahead of them. "Come on, we're almost to her. Floor it, Bo!"

Right as Bo began to pick up speed, one of Roscoe's phony orange cones was blown from it's hiding spot up in a tree and right out into the middle of the road. Bo just barely missed it, but they went flying into a ditch right off the road. It was good and stuck in some mud, and a tire was actually knocked _loose_. Bo jumped out and ran for a few seconds and stopped, nearly collapsing on the road out of angst and frustration.

Luke ran to Bo's side and tried to pull him up. "Bo, come on, we've gotta get the General back in order!" Bo pulled his arm away from his cousin. "Bo, come on!"

His little cousin looked up and nearly broke his heart with the tears in his eyes. "Luke, it'll take at least a half hour to get the General out and fix that dumb tire!" Luke looked back at the tire he had missed earlier. "By then, she'll be home or on her way out of Hazzard… Luke, what if that creep's waiting in her apartment or somethin'? What if he gets to her before we do? It's all my fault. There ain't nothin' we can do now…" He began to sob into his hands, and Luke tried to pull him up again. Once more, he pulled away, but still got up. "Luke, can you get Cooter on the CB? I've got to get somebody to look after her… if anything happens to her… I don't know what I'd do…" Luke quickly contacted Cooter and began working on getting that car out of the ditch and back on the road.

"It's no use, Bo. This car's kaput for at least a couple of hours. I'll call Uncle Jesse back at the farm."

------------------

Rosalyn wiped her tears for the umpteenth time, and pulled into the parking lot in front of her townhouse. She put some makeup over her tearstains and fixed her hair before getting out. She couldn't stay here… There is too much pain. Everywhere she goes she finds pain…

She went to open her door and checked her face again in her compact, but didn't have time to look. She dropped the compact and frantically turned around. Her heart was racing, and her mind was rushing with plans to get away…

Her breathing grew heavy and much faster, and she couldn't move from her position. "Hey, babe. It's been a while."


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

Rosalyn was almost too scared to even breath. For almost a month she had been gone now, and hadn't seen his face once… well, until the other day. "What'd you want?"

He smiled and what seemed like genuine love filed his eyes. It confused her. Had he changed? Did he realize his mistake? _No… no Ross… That's what he wants you to think… _ "Baby, This past month has been the hardest of my life. I… I don't know what was goin' on with me. I never wanted to hurt you."

She tensed, deciding it would be okay to carry on the conversation as long as she was out in broad daylight. "So, why did you?" He rubbed his neck and acted as sorry as he could, and it was dangerously close to convincing her. "Dave… You _did _hurt me. Bad. I'm still getting over y- it." She didn't want him suspecting her attachment to him despite his sick actions. "I don't know what happened to you, but I can assure you I'll have no part of it again." She turned to unlock her door. She felt his hand on her shoulder. It had a comforting feeling to it, like he was consoling her. Her mind began to push away the foreboding air of the entire thing, and her heart's deep roots began to take hold again. She continued to open the door and, against her better judgment, allowed him to follow her inside.

"Thanks, Rosie." She shuddered. Last time he had called her that he succeeded it with a scarring event. Then again, six more times. "I know you're scared of me right now, and you have every right to be. But I changed, Rosie. I changed. I love you so much… I don't know how I let something so strange happen to me… but it won't happen again, sweetheart. I won't lose you again." She tried to keep in the mindset she knew was the right one, but his lingering power over her had come back… stronger than before.

She turned around to face him. He was dangerously handsome and charming. She let a small smile peek through, and he returned it with a big grin. She looked back from the ground and saw him grinning and leaning against the wall… Suddenly, she thought of Bo. Bo and his goofy grin… how he always leaned on the wall and kissed her forehead… protected her… been there for her… Could she really forget all of that? "David…" He came closer. "David… I need some time…"

"Time? You've had a month, baby! How much more time could you need?" She backed up, not scared… just weary. She felt slightly stronger now… hopefully she wouldn't have to use this newfound self-confidence to effectively.

She backed into the table and knocked her purse on the floor. Her wallet lay open on the floor. He bent down to pick it up and paused before looking up at her. It dawned on her… _Bo… my picture of Bo…_ "Who's this man?" She couldn't speak. "Who's this guy, Rosie? Huh? _Who is he?_" She grabbed her wallet back and stuffed it in her purse. "Rosie-"

"His name is Bo Duke," she said in a powerful, fed up tone. "His name… is Bo Duke."

"Well whoever he is, he better not be some affair of yours."

"Affair? I think my runnin' from you in the middle of the night told you we were done, loud and clear, you hear?!" She went to the door and opened it. "Get out. Now."

He slammed the door shut. "Oh well I see how it is. You pretend to be all scared and innocent, then you come to some hick town and make love to the first farm boy that feels sorry for you?"

"NO! Bo is the man who put my soul back together. Who pick up my shattered mind and heart and made me feel like it was okay to be me again. He's the man that protected me. That loves me. He loves me, David. He's the man that will _never _take advantage of me." David was slightly stunned at this show of rebuttal. "And you know what? I love him, too. More than anything in this world. I thought I needed somebody protecting me every day but now I know that I don't! I'm not afraid of you. Get..out..of my..apartment." She opened the door again. He slammed it again. He grabbed her by both wrists and threw her on the ground.

Cooter pulled up outside and looked at Rosalyn's apartment. "Seems like she's okay…" Then he saw the door open, only to be slammed shut. "Guess I spoke too soon…" He grabbed the CB. "Lost sheep, this is Crazy Cooter… get down here to Ross's place as fast as you can… there's something not right and I don't think I can handle this guy alone…"

"Roger, Cooter, caught Daisy on the road comin' home. We're in Dixie and headed down there right now. Over and out." Cooter jumped out of the truck and ran to the front door.

"David… leave me alone! Please… just get away from me… Let me go!" He picked her up and kissed her intensely.

"Come on, Rosie. I love you. Can't you see that? I forgive you for tryin' to distract yourself with that farm boy. But I'm here now, it's all gonna be okay…"

"Not on my clock, it ain't!" A large phone book came raining down on David's head and he fell to the floor. He tried to stand up, but before he could regain control of his body a fist came into sharp contact with his jaw. David was out cold. Cooter tossed the phone book aside, and Rosalyn looked up to thank him. It was then that she realized the fist did not belong to the mechanic, but to the blond head of hair that had stolen her heart over the last month. She looked away, wanting to be anywhere but near him. She knew that if she let him, he'd bring down her defense. She needed to be alone.

"Ross…" Her eyes fluttered to his instinctively. Familiar blue eyes captivated hers, and she couldn't break away from them. She wanted to… she needed to. And so, she decided it was time to. She grabbed her keys and purse and slowly made her way to the door. Bo went to put his arms around her and she moved to the side. She looked up into his scared, puppy dog eyes. _I'm sure gonna miss you, Bo Duke. _She stood on her toes and kissed his cheek ever so lightly. She put her hand on Luke's shoulder and looked away. And with one final glance back at the three of them, she was gone.


End file.
